Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries

Posted by D. Daniel Sokol

Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries

Date: Friday, October 16, 2009
Time: 12 Noon - 2:00 PM
Location: Rayburn House Office Building, B369

The way the government applies antitrust laws can significantly affect innovation and investment, for good or ill.  IT firms have characteristics that make antitrust enforcement more complex, including significant amounts of intangible capital, supply- and demand-side economies of scale, and rapidly changing markets characterized by continuous innovation.  The new administration has signaled a more proactive approach to antitrust enforcement, particularly with respect to high-tech and Internet-based markets.  This Congressional Seminar will examine the proper application of antitrust policy to the IT sector and the direction the new administration is taking.  The conference will focus on the following issues:

• The effects of antitrust policy on innovation and whether pro-competitive, pro-consumer behavior in high-tech may differ from such behavior in more traditional industries.
• How antitrust enforcement balances the risks of failing to stop potentially anticompetitive activities against the risks of stifling potentially pro-competitive activities, with specific reference to IT, and whether this balance is changing over time.
• The evolving role of economics in antitrust enforcement.
• The effects of multiple antitrust regimes on global companies.

12 noon

Registration and Buffet Lunch

12:20 PM

Panel Discussion   David S. Evans, University of Chicago and University College London Douglas Melamed, WilmerHale, former Acting Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division Philip J. Weiser, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for International, Policy and Appellate Matters, Antitrust Division Joshua Wright, George Mason University School of Law Jonathan Zuck, Association for Competitive Technology Thomas M. Lenard, Technology Policy Institute (moderator)

To Register: Please use the online form for Antitrust and the Dynamics of Competition in High-Tech Industries, contact Ashley Creel at 202-828-4405 or events@techpolicyinstitute.org to register. The Technology Policy Institute The Technology Policy Institute is a think tank that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. TPI produces independent, rigorous research and sponsors educational programs and conferences on major issues affecting information technology and communications policy. TPI is a 501(c)(3) research and educational organization.  More information is available at http://www.techpolicyinstitute.org/